légume

Borrowed from Latin legūmen (cf. older form lesgum); was once feminine and became masculine by the 17th century. Replaced the Old French leün, which was inherited from the same source. Compare Italian and Portuguese legume, Spanish legumbre.

• IPA^(key): /le.ɡym/

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légume m (plural légumes)

1. (cooking) vegetable

   Manger des légumes est très bon pour la santé.

   Eating vegetables is very good for one's health.

2. (figuratively, informal, offensive) vegetable, cabbage (someone in a vegetative state)

   Depuis qu'il a eu un accident de voiture, il ressemble à un vrai légume.

   Since his car accident he has turned into a complete vegetable.

3. (botany, dated) legume; pod

   Le fruit de la vesce est un légume au sens strict.

   The seed of vetch is a legume in the strict sense of the word.

4. (figuratively, informal) couch potato

• (pod): gousse

• grosse légume

• English: legume

• “légume” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

• meugle, meuglé